Why this is a Masterpiece

This ewer is one of the representative porcelains manufactured by the Changsha Kiln. The Changsha Kiln was called Shizhu Kiln in ancient times. During the late 8th Century and early 10th Century, the Changsha Kiln was very prosperous and the biggest porcelain exporter during Tang Dynasty (618 – 907) and Five Dynasties (907 A.D – 959 A.D.). It exceeded the Yue and the Xing Kilns in terms of both quantity and market value. Integrating the techniques of South and North China, the Changsha Kiln creatively developed mould-applied design and printing techniques by learning from the printing craftsmanship of silverware. The technique was adopted to make this ewer, with brown speckled on the painting, making the design more shiny. Below the spout is a dancing figure wearing a gauze handkerchief and dancing gracefully on a cattail hassock. Quite distinct from traditional Chinese dancers wearing long robes, this dancer is a Hu (Northwestern barbarian tribes in ancient China) and the dance is called “Huteng Dance” or “Huxuan Dance”. The object is proof that cultures of Central Asia were absorbed into the culture of Central China.